# Learning MOO Programming

Rich Connamacher (phantom@baymoo.sfsu.edu)
Fri, 3 May 1996 07:06:57 PDT

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    One thing I would suggest is, instead of going from programmer to wizard,
    create an intermediate step called, say, 'Sage'.  The sage has some
    wizard powers on the moo and in programming, but not all of them, and is
    handled entirely in-database.  Sages won't be able to override the #0:bf_
    wrappers, won't be able to alter $server_options, etc, but will be able
    to do some other things, that are more than a simple programmer can do.  You
    could even give them permissions on builtin functions by rewriting the
    #0:bf_ wrappers, if you so wanted.  Why is this a good idea?

    1) No need to make the requirements to get a wiz bit readable by newbie
    programmers, since by the time they get a sage bit and are ready to shoot
    for the full wizard bit, they will already have advanced programmer skills.

    2) It's a very far jump from a programmer to a wizard.

    3) It'd let you have more control over what graduates from the programmer
    level can do

    4) Cuz it's MY idea, goddammit! :-)

    This idea could be extended, and you could make as many levels as you
    want, as long as each level progressively gets more abilities and more
    responsilities to go along with them.  You could, say, have the levels
    "Builder" (simple building, describing, digging, messaging, etc),
    "Programmer" (simple programming, creating simple emotes and features,
    and then some more complicated VR elements), "Core Hacker" (programming
    more central elements to the VR, like player classes, hacking with other
    core features), "Sage" (perhaps the most difficult programming level,
    with even more low level design), and then "Wizard" (a more
    maintainance-driven level than programming-driven level).

    Keep in mind that programming can actually be a fairly minor part of
    wizardhood, although an understanding of it is obviously a must.  If your
    MOO is to prepare people for wizard status, than you might want to touch
    up on other issues facing wizards than simply the ability to whip up a
    cool gif2ascii converter in MOO-code in T-minus 12 minutes.

    Phantom